In an effort to continue woodland restoration efforts in Kiwanis Park, the Brookfield Conservation Commission is planning on conducting controlled burns in both the oak savanna portion of North Kiwanis Park and the floodplain areas near Salt Creek in both North and South Kiwanis Park.
At a presentation before the Brookfield Board of Trustees on Nov. 14, members of the commission explained that while they had planned on doing the burns in late fall, a backlog of burn applications at the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency may push the burns into February or March of 2006.
Controlled burns are considered a valuable and cost-effective way to help restore natural areas by getting rid of invasive plant species and encouraging the growth of native plants, such as wildflowers and trees.
“The success we’ve had is many years in the making, improving soil conditions and creating more favorable conditions for deep-rooted native plants,” Suzanne Williams, a member of the Conservation Commission, told trustees. “With each burn we’re creating conditions that native plants favor.”
The last time the Conservation Commission presided over a controlled burn in Kiwanis Park was spring of 2003. For that event, the first of its kind in the park, the commission engaged a private contractor to conduct the burn. This time around, the commission plans on using trained volunteers to do the job.
“The volunteers receive federally approved training through the (Cook County) Forest Preserve District,” said Williams, who added that the commission will pay for the burns through funds it has in its budget. The total cost for the burn was estimated in the village’s 2005-06 budget at $3,800.
According to information provided by the commission at the Nov. 14 meeting of the village board, using volunteers to conduct the burn will save the village between $3,000 and $5,000 in professional fees. They also say that the village has saved over $3,000 in mowing costs and another $3,000 in tree trimming costs since the oak savanna was established.
The trickiest part about controlled burns is getting the timing right, according to Williams. Because the burns are weather-dependent, the Conservation Commission won’t always know ahead of time when the burns will be conducted.
Burns are done only when the temperature is between 40 and 65 degrees, the humidity is low and the winds are light (5-10 mph). By doing the burns in late fall or early spring when most home windows and doors are closed, Williams said, residents will experience less impact from smoke, which is a necessary byproduct of the operation.
Trustee C.P. Hall commented that the last time the commission did a controlled burn residents experienced “a sheet of smoke” traveling over Salt Creek to the west, which prompted complaints from some on that side of the river.
“With the right circumstances, the smoke will, rise upward, that’s why the wind is so crucial,” Williams said.
Williams said that using volunteers instead of a contractor to do the burns should give the commission more flexibility in scheduling the burns. Since contractors often wedge smaller burns, like Brookfield’s, into busier schedules, she said, they may be prone to conduct the burns in less-than-optimum weather conditions.
By using volunteers, the Conservation Commission can call off the burn at a moment’s notice. Brookfield Fire Department personnel are always on hand at the burn site to provide additional safety.
Fire Capt. Edward Bermann said that the fire department had not experienced any problems with controlled burns in the past.
“The only concern is the short notice,” he said. “We wish everyone would schedule their fires with us.”
